THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Kerri Einarson and Team Manitoba have earned another shot at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts title — and they’ll just have to take down the world No. 1 to win it all.
On Sunday afternoon at Fort William Gardens, the 37-year-old Einarson and her long-time third Val Sweeting, newly installed second Karlee Burgess and lead Krysten Karwacki edged out Team Nova Scotia’s Christina Black 9–8 in the semifinal. It was a game that came down to the very last shot — and needed the measuring stick — before Einarson earned a showdown with world No. 1 Team Canada and Rachel Homan in the night’s final.
It’ll be a rematch of Saturday night’s meeting between the top two teams in Canada, which saw Homan and her reigning world champions take an 8-4 victory to earn a direct ticket to the championship game.
Both skips will be looking for a fifth career Scotties title.
To earn their way to the big game, Einarson got off to a good start against Nova Scotia, capitalizing on Black’s missed double takeout to score a deuce, and stealing a single in two to take a 3-0 lead.
Black made a draw for two in the third end to get on the board and bring her team within a point, and the teams traded deuces into the break. Manitoba extended its lead to 7-5, and Einarson had a chance to put this game away, but overthrew her last in seven. That allowed Black to score an easy deuce to pull back into this game, and within a point.
Manitoba extended its lead to two through eight, but in nine Black made an incredible final shot for two to tie things up at 8-8 heading into the final end. On her last shot, Einarson had a hit-and-roll to the button for the win, and rolled a little long. The measuring stick came out and determined Einarson’s stone was a hair closer for the win.
Nova Scotia entered this game on the eve of devastating news and without second, Jennifer Baxter, who found out during their game a day earlier that her father, Blair, had passed away. Blair and Baxter’s mother, Patricia, were in Thunder Bay earlier this week watching their daughter and the team.
Marlee Powers, who’d been alternating with Baxter at second, took over the position full time after the second end of their playoff win Saturday.
The Einarson-Homan finale will see the winner go on to represent Canada at the world championships next month in South Korea.
Homan’s team has lost to just one Canadian team this season: Einarson’s, back in October.